5.56 Advice Needed

[Tex_Hill]

The pawn shop near my work has a couple of used 5.56 rifles for sale. One is a Stag M4 clone with iron sights for $765.00. The other is a DTMS with a 20" bull barrel but no optics for $865.00. I inspected both and they look clean. I haven't had a 5.56 in my hands in over ten years so I have no clue what to look for anymore. I'm on a budget right now so I figured used might be a way to go. Thanks.

 

[Rocketman]

The Stag might not be a bad deal at $765.00. The DPMS depends on how you plan to use it. Unless you want to do a lot of bench type shooting the 20" bull barrel may limit you.

It's a great time to buy an AR. There are a lot of great deals out there now. I would advise you to look around for a bit online before you buy something used from a pawn shop. You should be able to by a nice new M4 clone for very close to what they are asking for the DPMS

 

[Tex_Hill]

It's a great time to buy an AR. There are a lot of great deals out there now. I would advise you to look around for a bit online before you buy something used from a pawn shop. You should be able to by a nice new M4 clone for very close to what they are asking for the DPMS

Any recommendations on where to shop?

 

[Rocketman]

Well if you are one of those people who like to finger f**ck a weapon before you buy it I'd start out in one of your local guns shops or gun shows in your area. Sometimes I like to do that too if it's a weapon I'm not familiar with.

If it's an AR I'm plenty comfortable buying it sight unseen from a reputable on line dealer. Most of the time you can get a better deal that way even figuring in a $25-$35 dollar transfer fee. I've purchased on line many times with no problems.

Are you just looking for a good quality M4 clone for self defense and shooting at the range?

I'll look around a bit and see if I can point you toward some deals

 

[gaijin6423]

I would try this: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pwswheghNQsEuEhjFwPrgTA&single=true&gid=5&output=html

It's a good resource to start with, but don't by like one of my guys, who read it, thought he knew everything, and then paid $900+ for a stripped M&P-15 lower with a DTI lower parts kit, DTI upper, and some kind of cheap knockoff optic on top of it. He still has the upper on gunbroker, trying to sell it off, all because he couldn't wait 20 more minutes for me to show up at the gun show. Buyer beware, but if you know a bit about what to look for, you can avoid a lot of the crap that's out there.

 

[Tex_Hill]

Are you just looking for a good quality M4 clone for self defense and shooting at the range?

I'll look around a bit and see if I can point you toward some deals

Yes, a good quality M4 clone s what I'm looking for. My biggest problem is that I haven't bought a rifle in so long I no longer know which manufacturers make a good product and who makes junk.

I appreciate the help Rocketman!

 

[Rocketman]

I agree with gaijin6423. It's good to do some research before you buy and that chart is a great resource. There is a difference in quality between manufactures. If you've got the coin by all means buy a Colt 6920 or a BCM M4. I have both and they are great weapons. I also still have a Rock River and Bushmaster or two that have worked fine for me over the years. If I ever had to sell all of my AR's but one I'd keep the 6920 though.

I'm not sure why it's not on the chart but IMHO a Spikes Tactical M4 LE looks like it's still one of the best buys out there. Especially if you are on a budget. The specs would put it somewhere on the left side of the chart and you can get it for 799.95. They will even etch your jump wings on the magwell if you like bling. Several AW members have Spikes lowers with Navy Wings etched on them. I've purchased several lowers and a couple uppers from them. No problems and great customer service.

http://www.spikestactical.com/z/index.php

If you can spend in the $1,100.00 range you really start to find some good options

Do the research. You won't be sorry

 

[Tex_Hill]

Holy crap, you weren't kidding! I checked out their ST-15 M4 LE carbine and it has all of those features listed in the chart under the high end manufacturers, i.e., M16 bolt, shot peened, HPT test, etc., but at almost half the price ($799.95). How do they do it so cheap, or maybe the question should be why are the others so expensive? =)

 

[Rocketman]

That's a good question. I'll tell you what I think but it's just my opinion. Spikes has been making quality "parts" (buffers, lowers, uppers etc) for a pretty long time. Last year(?) they started making complete weapons too. Quality at first was probably on a par with Rock River, Bushy etc. (Which was good enough for my shooting needs for a long time) In the last several months they embarked on a quality tear and ended up with what you see today. I think they kept their prices low to get a lot of weapons out there and win as much customer loyalty as possible in a buyers market.

If you look around the web enough you might come across what to me looks a lot like jealousy from other dealers fans. In my mind though there is just no way to beat their value for the dollar. Would I rather have a 6920, BMC or DD? Yea probably but they are going for the $1100 to $1200 range best case.

 

[gaijin6423]

I think Rocketman's right on the mark with the fan/jealousy statement, but I do think that in some cases, you get what you pay for. DTI is a good example: Great people; Put out an affordable product; But try running on at a Magpul, Gunsite, Tigerswan, Grey Group, etc course, and you're going to be hating life right around the 500-600 round mark. I'm not saying that everyone needs a $2k+ rifle, just the opposite. I bought a late model M&P15 (the earlier ones had some QA issues), added a little furniture, and I do consistently well in the local 3-gun matches with it. It's a solid, simple gun, and I trust it.

On a side note, check out the Battlecomp if you want something other than the standard compensator/flash hider. Absolutely awesome, and I would have thought it just a gimmick, had I not shot one. www.battlecomp.com

 

[Rocketman]

I just got an email from AIM Surplus Inc today and look what was advertised in it. (among other things) Battlecomp tactical compensators

http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=XBC1Blk&groupid=144 compensator

 

[gaijin6423]

That thing is amazing. It does such a good job that it took me a while to get used to it, and people have been buying them up like crazy. A couple months ago, I had to email the company and request to be put on the advance notice list for them, and it was a good thing I did, because they sold out in 12 hours when they went public again. One of the videos on the website is a friend of mine (I filmed the non-gun camera portions).

 

[ryan1234]

I had AR fun for a while - now have a Sig 556 Classic

I like it a lot better than my AR - for a number of reasons

when I got my Sig they had a factory $300 rebate (or you could get like $500 worth of accessories, something like that)

but even at a relatively expensive online shop such as impact guns... they're sitting right now at $969 with diopter rear sights
http://www.impactguns.com/store/798681418138.html

 

[Tex_Hill]

Be advised, dumb question follows: What do they mean by the pin butt stock option and then give 6 different positions?

 

[Rocketman]

Since they have options for "California Bullet Button" and removal of the bayonet lug I assume they are talking about pinning the butt stock so it can't collapse. (Thereby meeting certain states requirements. CA?) Then it looks like they give you a choice of what position you want it pinned in. This option wasn't there the last time I looked at the site.

Thats my educated guess but I'm all but certain that's what Spikes is doing. Don't know if they work on Saturdays but you could give them a quick call to confirm if you want.

Check out their Spikes Gear Section. They have some cool patches, hats and T's